Standards

I know when I first came into the church, I was a little offended by the idea of a standard that we as Christians must maintain. I had no doubt in my mind what it took for a person to be saved. I felt that in my own spirit just as I watched the Holy Ghost move throughout a congregation, and I wasn't even filled with the baptism of the Holy Ghost yet! But, I struggled with giving up the things I wore,cutting my hair, acting a certain way towards people. For almost a year I blamed people in my church, and the struggle with my friends and family, on why I couldn't give these things up. I would wear make-up and tight pants, wanting my boyfriend's approval to say it was okay, so it could be justified in my own mind. Praise God, he was never okay with it!

I knew there was a standard I needed to uphold, but I would never allow myself to uphold it because I refused to learn why. Why should women not cut their hair? Why are men allowed to have certain responsibilities over women (that's a whole other post for another rainy day)? I kept asking "why?", but I never wanted an answer, because then I would know that I truly was wrong. 

Something that was a hard lesson to learn in my walk with God is that you should never lose the thirst to gain more from God. Not wondering what God has in store for just you, but how can you praise God? How can I lift Him up? How can I be the witness I need to be? How do I become more Christ-like? Because that's really the definition of a Christian isn't it? Someone who is Christ-like, or strives whole-heartedly to be that way? We call ourselves Christians, but we don't always show it. 

What can help us achieve that? Having that standard. Especially when you are new to God, and living an Apostolic-Pentecostal lifestyle, one of the best things (I think) you can do is to talk to your pastor about standards. Some churches even have theirs typed up on their websites with Scripture to back up why they do what they do--I do caution you though, because although some churches may live by the standard, they don't believe in Oneness, or water baptism, or speaking in tongues. I highly suggest going to your pastor, and if you're a woman, go to your pastor's wife! They are there to help you!!

Check out the UPCI website and go through some of the links on there, and for you ladies, you really should read "Unmasked", "The Girl in the Dress", and "Covered By Love" by Lori Wagner. She gives a great Bible study on modesty, our hair, and make-up, tattoos, and piercings. It's very well researched, and she gives a lot of great beauty, clothes, and hair tips! Check it out!!!